Month: December 2020

Copyright © 2019 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett

For quite some time I have been exploring the life of James H. Cragg, manager of the Tabor Opera House from 1882-1894. He was a musician, theatrical manager, and scenic artist. During the 1890s he was also the assistant manager for the Silver Circuit, as well as an assistant manager at the Vendome Hotel. Tomorrow, I will post quite a lengthy article about this fascinating man.
Cragg oversaw two stage renovations at the Tabor Opera House and multiple scenery additions, yet little is known about his personal life. In 1875, he married Annie W. Parmele and the two moved to Leadville by 1882.

In 1887, Annie passed away and Cragg fell ill. For a time, he sought solace with his family in Louisville. When he returned to Leadville, a lovely memoriam was written by his childhood friend in Kentucky and published in both Louisville and Leadville. It says so much about the couple and their deep love for each other.

“In Memoriam.

Mrs. James H. Cragg, died on March 1, 1887.

“On November 10, 1875 , I witnessed the marriage of Mr. James H. Cragg to Miss Annie W . Parmele, in the Broadway M . E . church in this city. The good Rev. Dr. Schon, whom death has long since removed from our midst, performed the happy ceremony in the presence of a large crowd of relatives, friends and acquaintances. A happier pair were never made—
“Two souls but with a single thought, Two hearts that beat as one-“
and a fairer and more beautiful bride than Annie never blushed before the altar of hymen, as she stood beside the man she loved, and the venerable minister solemnly joined them together in the holy bonds of happy wedlock. Together they started out upon the broad road of life, hand in hand and heart in heart, to share each others joys and sorrows, to live to love and cling to one another with fond affection true, until they were separated by the relentless and cruel hand of death. The bright sunshine of peace, love and happiness smiled upon them, and their pathway had never been shadowed by clouds of adversity and sorrow. They seem to have been born for each other, to live for and love one another. He kind, generous, loving and true; she generous, faithful, patient, warm-hearted, and blessed by nature with all the Christian traits of human character, that constitutes a true woman and makes her lovely and beautiful in the sight of God and in the eyes of man. But, alas! Death is no respecter of persons, and loves a “shining mark.”
The cup of happiness has been suddenly snatched from their lips by the relentless and cruel hand of the destroying angel, and, with a sad and sorrowful heart, the friend of my boyhood stands holding fragments in his trembling hands as he laments the loss of her he loved with fond affection true.
On the evening of March 1, 1887, just when the bright eye of day was closing in the distant west, when time, with its nimble fingers, had commenced pinning up the curtains of the night with the beautiful stars across the cheerful face of day, the light of the lamp of a beautiful and useful life went out, and the soul of Annie put on its wings of immortality, and winged its flight to God and Heaven, to dwell forever and forever with the angels. She died as she had lived – a true Christian.
The remains were brought from Leadville where she died, to Louisville, where she had lived, and her form now rests in its newly made tenement of clay, over which loved ones shed tears of sorrow to the memory of one whom to know in life was to honor, respect and love. Like the bird who has lost its mate, and returned to its nest home to find it vacant, so, the bereaved husband has returned to his house in Leadville to mourn the loss and absence of his loved one. It was a sad and cruel blow to him, but the angels smiled to know that God had called a wanderer home to dwell in Heaven with the angels who stand before the Throne of Grace. And sound their harps with tuneful lays. Who smile upon our Savior’s face. And sing their songs of sweetest praise.
To the lonely and bereaved husband whom I have known from his boyhood, I tender my sincere and heartfelt sympathy, and extend to him the consoling thought that what has been his loss is her gain. She has left him to battle with life alone, but she has also left him that which is as dear to his heart as her memory is sacred – her love. And as the bark of his life goes drifting across the stormy sea of Time, let him fear not, but look Heavenward, use that sacred love that will live forever with him, for his compass, and God will see that he lands safely in the harbor of eternity, and meet his loved one again in the port of Heaven – where there is no sickness, sorrow, death of parting – nothing but everlasting life, love and happiness.
Oh May some bright and dazzling star, Be as a frame hung up in spaceBy angels from the “gates ajar.” In which you will see sweet Annie’s face.Dear friend, look up and be content, And don’t forget her dying prayer,You try and go where she went, She loved you here, she’ll love you there.
-Will S. Hays,Louisville, April 8, 1887.

Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett

Thomas G. Moses returned to Chicago after landing the Tacoma Scottish Rite project in the fall of 1921.  Of the return trip, he wrote, “Had a good trip to Chicago and within two days was on my way to Detroit where a $5,000.00 contract was closed for a picture setting for the Capitol Theatre, which has got to be done immediately, as I have promised to do most of the work.” Detroit’s Capitol Theatre was a cinema and live performance venue that opened in January 1922.

Movie screens at the time were lavishly set in the midst of painted scenery or “picture sets.” Part of Moses’ ability to land jobs on behalf of the Sosman & Landis studio in 1921 was that he promised to do the painting himself. He was well known for his speed and many clients relied upon that ability, especially when dealing with a compressed time frame. Upon his return to Chicago, Moses wrote, “I soon got busy on the Detroit job and did the big cyclorama 40 feet high.”

The Capitol Theatre opened on January 12, 1922. That day, the “Detroit Free Press” announced, “Palatial Play House Built at a Cost of $2,250,000” (page 11). The article reported, “the Capitol will be devoted to the showing of the better class of photoplays and the providing of the best in vocal and orchestral music, but it is so arranged that it also can present the largest and most gorgeous stage attractions which visit the city.” The new six-story building and basement store, included an office and theatre. Located on Broadway, it ran the block to Madison Ave. The large complex included “nine ground floor stores, twelve elegant ships, four floors of offices and the largest and finest Motion Picture Theatre” (Detroit Free Press, 24 July 1921, page 8).

Architect C. Howard Crane and his associate Elmer George Kiehler were responsible of the overall design.  The “Detroit Free Press” noted “Splendid in architecture, magnificent in decoration, gorgeous in coloring, complete and modern in the conveniences and comforts provided, the Capitol will stand as a monument to John H. Kunsky, the man whose enterprise, genius and vision made it possible” (12 Jan 1922, page 11). Moses had worked for Kunsky in the past, delivering scenery for his two Detroit movie houses in 1919. Kunsky is a fascinating individual in his own right and I have written about him in past posts; keyword search Kunsky at www.drypigment.net

When the Capitol opened in 1922, it signaled a monumental shift in the perception of scenic art for the stage. The “Detroit Free Press” article announced, “Electricity has become the modern stage artist. All the painted scenery is largely subordinated to the light effect made possible by the mere pressing of a button. Thus, in the Capitol, light as a mobile element becomes an artistic medium for the creation of marvelous scenes of beauty.”

As Kunsky opened his Detroit movie palace, the “Washington Times” include an article written by Kunsky in for the “Detroit Times.” It was included as a response to the query, “What is the Moving Picture?” (Washington, D.C., 13 Feb 1922, page 16). The article noted, “A very good definition of the moving picture, as you will agree, is given by John H. Kunsky who has just built the Capitol Theater in Detroit, one of the most magnificent theaters anywhere. Writing for the Detroit Times, Mr. Kunsky says:

WHAT A THEATRE DOES.

By John H. Kunsky.

Throughout history the human race, worried with its problem and its struggles for life, has sought relaxation, a change in the mind’s work that means rest for the brain. The Greeks had their public baths, in which they met and talked; their public squares, their famous philosophical promenades.

The fighting Romans had their great arenas, in which men and beasts, and even ships on real water, fought to amuse the mob.

In the middle ages they had bear-baiting, their dog fights.

The Spaniards still have their bull fights.

The Americas, as a nation, far removed from the brutality of the gladiatorial arena, or the bill rig, find their mental rest and their mental pleasure in the theater. And in the modern theater and its work you find reflected the national personality, its interest, its culture.

WHAT IS THE MOVING PICTURE?

The question is not asked now as it once was when men doubted whether ‘the movies,’ so called would last.

The moving picture is SIMPLY THE SHORTEST ROAD INTO THE HUMAN BRAIN.

It enables the actor to display all of his skill, and the spectator instantly can see all that the story has to tell.

You can do with the moving pictures all that can be done by the living actor, and a thousand times more.

If you say that the voice of the living actor is missing from moving picture, I will admit it, and regret it. But I will answer that the absence of the actor’s voice increases the activity of the spectator’s imagination, and the work that goes on inside the mind of the spectator’s imagination, and the work that goes on inside the mind of the spectator is worth infinitely more that the spoken word of any living actor.

To arouse thought, stimulate the imagination, transport vast audiences as by magic, to all parts of the world, is a great, useful and education work. And that is what the moving picture does. An entire week of work by living actor and of close attention by spectators could not show as much as can be shown by the moving picture in two short hours.

Gigantic crowds of thousands such as no stage on earth could possibly hold are shown and brought before crowds in absolute reality on the screen.

The moving picture is a great educator, and no man can say what good is done to this and to other nations in which the moving pictures with its dramatic story is part, as it were, of the daily mental diet.”

To be continued…

Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Rae Waszut-Barrett

In 2018, I visited the Scottish Rite theater in Salina, Kansas. It was on my return trip from Santa Fe, New Mexico, to Minneapolis, Minnesota. Although I had documented the Salina collection before, I want to see the current condition of the deteriorating drops.

The Salina Scottish Rite theater was part of a 1920s Masonic building boom. Many Scottish Rite theaters with existing scenery collections enlarged their facilities and purchased new collections, trading in their old scenery for credit on a new purchase. These used scenery collections were then resold to other Scottish Rite theaters for a fraction of the original cost. In other cases, the Masons brokered their own used scenery deal, transferring scenery from one theater to another. That was the case with the 1908 McAlester scenery collection. The Salina Masons purchased the used scenery collection from the McAlester Scottish Rite. The collection was originally painted at the Sosman & Landis Studio. Here is the cathedral setting; one of the more complex scenes. For more information about Scottish Rite scenery and theaters, visit www.drypigment.com and use the keyword search function

Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett

In 1921 Thomas G. Moses secured the new Tacoma Scottish Rite scenery contract. Of the project, he wrote, “It took some work to close the Tacoma job at $6,400.00.  Will come back to do the work myself.” He intended to start the Tacoma Scottish Rite project at the beginning of December 1921, but was delayed. Moses wrote, “I should have been back in Tacoma December 1^st.  I have written them on the cause of my delay…“January 1^st found the Madam and I enjoying ourselves in Tacoma, Washington.  I had the Scottish Rite Temple work pretty well started, went back to the old theatre to work.” Moses painted the scenery for the Tacoma Scottish Rite at the Tacoma Theater before it was installed in the new building. Of the installation, Moses wrote, “Harry Naile showed up the latter part of February.  We then started to get things into the Temple and it began to look like a job.  I did a picture of Jerusalem for the asbestos curtain, and it came out very good.”

Other than one photograph of the cathedral setting, I have yet to locate an photographs of the scenery painted by Moses in 1922. Moses also decorated other parts of the building during his stay in Tacoma. He wrote, “The Scottish Rite Bodies asked me to look after the decoration which I did, partly successful. The ceiling of the main auditorium went bad, and took a good deal of scrumbling to get it even.”  It would be wonderful to see what Moses considered “bad” at this time. 

Before Moses left Tacoma, he wrote, “On the completion of our contract and on the eve of our departure, the trustees gave us a dinner in our honor, which was attended by Harry Naile, it was very fine – we certainly felt honored.”

As with other Masonic projects in the 1920s, the planning and construction of the new Scottish Rite in Tacoma made newspapers across the country. On July 27, 1920, the “Oregon Daily Journal” reported, “Tacoma Scottish Rite Masons are about to construct a temple at the cost of $350,000” (page 48). Other Masonic construction projects were listed in the article, noting “Cincinnati Masons are to construct a Masonic temple to cost $2,000,000…Birmingham, Ala., is to have a Masonic Temple costing $1,000,000.” At the time, Portland Masonic bodies also built a  $1,000,000 temple. For context, $1,000,000 in 1921 is the equivalent of approximately $14,500,000 today.

The new Scottish Rite building in Tacoma was formally dedicated on April 7, 1922. The Scottish Rite was located at 5 South G St. Designed by Sutton, Whitney and Dugan, the five-story Masonic complex was located at Park Heights & Division Avenue overlooking Wright Park.

The Masons did not hold onto the building for long, and I have to wonder whatever happened to Moses’ scenery after they vacated the building. On January 9, 1937, the “Spokesman Review” announced, “Masonic Cathedral Bought by Church.” The article continued, “Purchase of the Tacoma Scottish Rite Cathedral for $50,000 was voted by the Independent Bible church of Tacoma last night. The building, lost by the Scottish Rite on a mortgage some time ago, is now the property of Washington Mutual Savings bank of Seattle” (page 11).

The Scottish Rite Temple stood the test of time until recently, becoming a rare example of poured concrete architecture in the city. Despite the rarity however, the building could not be saved; churches are not subject to landmark laws in Washington State. The old building was demolished in October 2017. Although the demolition could not be prevented, negotiations with the City of Tacoma Historic Preservation Officer, resulted in some mitigation steps that included some documentation and salvage. Here is the link to an article about it: https://www.preservewa.org/most_endangered/scottish-rite/

Prior to fall demolition, much of the architectural ornament in the building was stripped from and resold. Here are some of the materials that were resold at a second use shop: https://www.seconduse.com/2017/11/featured-job-tacoma-bible-presbyterian-church/

To be continued…

Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Rae Waszut-Barrett

Scenery by Toomey & Volland scenic studio of St. Louis, Missouri, for the Scottish Rite Theatre in Richmond, Virginia. In October 2020, I visited the Richmond Scottish Rite with Michael Powers and Richard Finkelstein to document the historic scenery collection, dating from 1900-1920. For more scenes from Richmond, keyword search “Richmond Scottish Rite.”

Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Rae Waszut-Barrett

Scenery by Toomey & Volland scenic studio of St. Louis, Missouri, for the Scottish Rite Theatre in Richmond, Virginia. In October 2020, I visited the Richmond Scottish Rite with Michael Powers and Richard Finkelstein to document the historic scenery collection, dating from 1900-1920. For more scenes from the Richmond Scottish Rite keyword search “Richmond Scottish Rite.”

Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett

Thomas G. Moses traveled with his wife Ella to Tacoma, Washington, in 1921. He was primarily there to paint scenery for the Tacoma Scottish Rite. However, Tacoma was one of his favorite places to sketch and do easel painting. After arriving that December, Moses wrote, “I found we needed another room for a studio, which I got, and it is going to be a good asset to my picture painting.  The most glorious view of the mountain at sunrise, noon, sunset and an hour after sunset.  I have finally got to work and while it is going to be a long job, I will enjoy doing it, and incidentally getting some good sketches of the mountain.”  When it was time to head home Moses wrote, “I made several sketches of the famous mountain from my studio window.  We met so many nice people that it was a hardship to leave.” He loved painting Mt. Rainier.

While in Tacoma, Moses and Ella became close friends with Fred and Jane Southworth. Of the couple, Moses wrote, “Dr. Southworth and his wife were extremely kind to us.  He is a clever painter, besides being a physician.  We took an auto ride to Seattle to see a collection of pictures, which we truly enjoyed.” Whenever Moses returned to the area, he would visit the Southworth’s. In 1924, he wrote, “Took a run over to Tacoma and had a very pleasant visit with Dr. Southworth.” In 1923 Thomas G. Moses wrote, “I proposed Dr. Southworth for an artist’s membership in the Salmagundi Club, but the Art Jury would not pass his work for which I was very sorry, as I did want him in as a member.  It would have meant a lot to him.”

This was Dr. F. W. Southworth, a pioneer Tacoma physician and regional artist. In 1921 Dr. Southworth was practicing at 416 California Building. However, when Dr. Southworth first met Moses, his offices were located in rooms 1, 2, and 3 of the new Tacoma Theatre Building. The two likely met at the theater.

Frederick William Southworth was the son of Nelson E. Southworth and Mary Hubbard. He was one of nine children born to the Canadian couple, arriving on February 7, 1860, in Thedford, Ontario.  He emigrated to the United States in May 1876 and was educated at the University of Iowa, graduating with an M.D. in 1887. That fall he began practicing in Tacoma. He was known as one of the primarily physicians for many Chinese in city.

In 1889, he married Jane Walthers on Nov. 18, 1889. Although the wedding was held in St. Paul, Minnesota, the couple lived in Tacoma; Jane being from Minnesota. The couple celebrated the birth of one daughter, Catherin Deane, born on February 14, 1897.

“Fred” Southworth exhibited works in Seattle and Tacoma and is considered part of the Northwest Impressionist movement; a loose group of artists practicing from 1910 to 1935. Any images of  his paintings are extremely difficult to track down. Fortunately, a couple were sold at auction, indicating his range from realistic to impressionistic work. During his life, he was quite well known as a Tacoma painter. In 1893, one of Dr. Southworth’s paintings was exhibited in the Washington State building at the World’s Fair in Chicago (Post-Intelligencer, 13 April 1893, page 8). Later he became president of the Tacoma Art League. Several of Dr. Southworth’s paintings were even used as cover illustrations for national magazines, although I have yet to locate any to date (Spokesman-Review, 23 Mar 1934, page 3). In 1916, Dr. Southworth was even a guest speaker at the Tacoma Fine Arts Society, sill lecturing about his artistic passion (Tacoma Times, 25 Oct 1916, page 3).

Dr. Southworth as also a published author. By 1901 he published “True Metaphysical Science and Its Practical Application through the Law of Suggestion,” (2 editions). He was still lecturing on the subject in 1911 when he spoke on  “Law of Suggestion” at the Plymouth Congregational Church (Tacoma Times, 9 Feb 1911, page 3). By 1913 he was quite well known and doing extremely well. That year he was even listed in “Who’s Who on the Pacific Coast.”

This is about the time trouble began and never quite left; it was always waiting in the shadows. It may have started as early as 1907 when Dr. Southworth tested on behalf of Chinese-American citizens, particularly the Ah Rook family. It was part of the long-going investigation of Chinese children who claimed citizenship after the Chinese Expulsion Act of 1882. This was the first law restricting immigration, establishing a ten-year moratorium of Chinese Labor immigration. The law continued to be extended until 1943 when the United States became allies China with during World War II, subsequently repealing the ban on Chinese immigration and naturalization.

In 1914, Dr. Southworth’s legal troubles began in earnest. That year Philip and Myrtle Butler filed suit against Dr. Southworth for $15,500, alleging carelessness in medical treatment (Tacoma Times, 20 March 1914, page 1). The malpractice case was settled out of court after the doctor paid the couple $600 (The Tacoma Times, 256 June 1914, page 1).

Two decades later, he faced much more serious allegations. In 1934, Dr. Southworth was arrested and charged with having illegally issued a number of prescriptions for narcotics . He was immediately arraigned before Judge Edward E. Cushman in the federal district court. After entering a plea of not guilty, was released on his own recognizance until the trial date (Spokesman-Review, 23 Mar 1934, page 3). The government charged that Dr. Southworth wrote an excessive number of narcotic prescriptions and for amounts in excess of that needed for the treatment of disease. Dr. Southworth entered a plea of not guilty for each of the fifteen counts of his violating narcotic laws (Spokesman-Review, 19 Sept 1934, page 16). I have had a difficult time tracking down the final outcome of the trial, but the 1930 and 1940 census report suggests that he was found guilty. The 1930 census that listed Dr. Southworth as a physician working in the medical industry. In the 1940 Census, Dr. Southworth was listed as a Diagnostician working in the Drugstore industry. At the time he was 80 yrs. old.

Dr. Southworth passed away in 1946 and is buried in Tacoma.

To be continued…

Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Rae Waszut-Barrett

Scenery by Toomey & Volland scenic studio of St. Louis, Missouri, for the Scottish Rite Theatre in Richmond, Virginia. In October 2020, I visited the Richmond Scottish Rite with Michael Powers and documented the historic scenery collection, dating from 1900-1920. For more scenes, keyword search “Richmond Scottish Rite.”

Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett

Thomas G. Moses traveled to Tacoma, Washington, in 1921 to paint scenery for the Tacoma Scottish Rite. That December he wrote, “Arrived in Tacoma at 1:25 P.M. the second day after a delightful ride through the mountains.  Saw my old friend Blackwell and enjoyed the visit with him.”

Moses was referring to William Bush Blackwell (1837-1922), one of of the city’s earliest pioneers. At 84 yrs. old, Blackwell was secretary for the Tacoma Hotel Co. and living at 401 Broadway. He had never left really left the hospitality industry from his first arrival to the city in 1873. Blackwell’s investments in real estate were quite impressive. Over the years, Blackwell was integral in the establishment of Tacoma’s  first modern hotel, first bank, first theater and first museum.  On Nov. 2, 1880, Blackwell became a county commissioner and was integral in moving Pierce’s county seat to Tacoma.

Moses first met Blackwell back in 1889 when he was in town painting scenery for the new Tacoma Theatre. Blackwell was one of the directors for the enterprise. In his memoirs, Moses recorded, “Mr. Blackwell, President of the Tacoma National Bank, was also President of the Opera House Company, and he liked a wood scene that I painted so well, that he offered me $200.00 to paint a watercolor like it, which I did.” Years later Moses would add, “He still has it, and likes it as well now as he did twenty-nine years ago.”

Blackwell was originally from the east; born in Connecticut on September 10, 1837, to Enoch Blackwell and Sarah Bush. He came from a well-established and well-off east coast family. He was living in Syracuse, New York, when the Civil War broke out and enlisted in the military on October 30, 1862. Blackwell was a colonel of the 26^th Regiment, New York State Militia. Amazingly, he left a collection of his papers that document his experiences from 1861 to 1863. They comprise the William B. Blackwell papers in the Special Collections at the University of Washington. Here is the link: http://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv44284/pdf

Blackwell, met and married Alice E. Bliven from New York (b. February 28, 1840). Similarly, his wife also left a fascinating account of the couple’s move to Tacoma in 1873, their opening of Blackwell’s Hotel, and early life in the city. In an eleven-page hand-written letter, she recalled their arrival aboard the first train from Kalama over the newly completed Northern Pacific line, as well as descriptions of the city and many early events. Her reminiscences were written for the Mary Ball Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution in 1913, is part of the Washington Women’s History Consortium. Here is the link: (https://wshs.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/faids/id/5/rec/1).

The Blackwell’s contributions to the early growth of Tacoma is also detailed in Herbert Hunt’s book, “TACOMA, Its History and Its Builders. A Half Century of Activity.” It was published the same year that Alice passed away in 1916. Here is a link to the publication: https://archive.org/stream/tacomaitshistory01hunt/tacomaitshistory01hunt_djvu.txt

Moses’ meeting with Blackwell at the beginning of 1922 was shortly before the Tacoma pioneer passed away. Moses later wrote, “Our dear old friend Blackwell seemed to enjoy our visits.  He rallied and felt good whenever I talked of Chicago; he was very weak and lived until September – he was 85 years of age.”

Blackwell passed away on October 4, 1922 and is buried at the Tacoma Cemetery. It is not surprising that Blackwell maintained close contact with the Chicago scenic artist over the years, as he maintained great respect for the arts. On October 28, 1893, citizens from across Pierce County gather ed together on the fourth floor of the new county courthouse in Tacoma to celebrate the opening of the Ferry Museum. Blackwell was one of five men who filed articles of incorporation on June 16, 1893 for the Ferry Museum of Art. It was a collaboration between the Tacoma Academy of Sciences, the Tacoma Art League, and the Washington State Historical Society, named after Clinton P. Ferry, who donated his collection of art and artifacts.  The object and purpose of the museum “was to establish and maintain in Tacoma a museum of art; to collect relics of the early history of North America and elsewhere; and particularly of the state of Washington.” Here is a link for more information about the Ferry Museum: https://www.historylink.org/File/20680

To be continued…

Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett

In 1921 Thomas G. Moses landed the scenery contract for the Tacoma Scottish Rite. Of the project, he wrote, “It took some work to close the Tacoma job at $6,400.00.  Will come back to do the work myself.” He was to start the Tacoma Scottish Rite project at the beginning of December 1921, but he had to put out a few fires before leaving Chicago that winter. Moses wrote, “I should have been back in Tacoma December 1^st.  I have written them on the cause of my delay.”

He had a very short period of time to accomplish a lot of tasks in the main studio before leaving town, and there were stops to make along the way. Too much to do in too little time; a theme that I am certainly familiar with these days.  Moses and his wife did not leave Chicago until Dec. 13, spending a full day in Kansas City before continuing onto Los Angeles. Then there was another stop in San Francisco, where Moses took the boat across the bay and headed east to Stockton. He hoped to close another contract, but had no such luck.

Of his side trip to Stockton, Moses wrote,  “Took the boat back again and left for the north the same day. We had a very pleasant trip.  Found a lot of snow in the north on our arrival in Tacoma.  We found our apartment all ready for us and it is very cozy.” He was in town to paint scenery for the Scottish Rite Theatre, but also planned on doing a little oil painting in his spare time. Moses, continued,  “I found we needed another room for a studio, which I got, and it is going to be a good asset to my picture painting.  The most glorious view of the mountain at sunrise, noon, sunset and an hour after sunset.  I have finally got to work and while it is going to be a long job, I will enjoy doing it, and incidentally getting some good sketches of the mountain.”

His stay in Tacoma with Ella must have been a wonderful break from both travel and responsibilities associated Sosman & Landis. It was a new project, a new year, and he was surrounded by beautiful scenery. One of his favorite compositions to paint was the nearby Mount Rainier.  In 1889, he recorded his first glimpse of the mountain, also known as Mount Shasta, writing, “My first view of Mt. Shasta I shall never forget.  It was sunset and all the foreground and middle distance was in shadow.   Made a rapid  pencil sketch and have since painted it in watercolor and oil, with some success.”

At the onset  of 1922, Moses wrote, “January 1^st found the Madam and I enjoying ourselves in Tacoma, Washington.  I had the Scottish Rite Temple work pretty well started, went back to the old theatre to work. I was there and painted one of my famous drop curtains.” Moses was referring to the Tacoma Theatre. Moses and Ed Loitz painted the stock scenery for the venue in 1889-1890. Here is the link to my past post about this project: https://drypigment.net2017/09/28/tales-from-a-scenic-artist-and-scholar-acquiring-the-fort-scott-scenery-collection-for-the-minnesota-masonic-heritage-center-part-222-thomas-g-moses-and-the-tacoma-theatre/

   Of his drop curtain from 1889, Moses wrote, “As I look at it now, it is hard to realize that I painted it 33 years ago. The scene is in Rome, “Temple of Minerva.”  It has a richness of color that we are not able to get now on account of the inferiority quality of the colors.  I found my old palette, which gave me a rather uncanny chill, to think that after so many years, it should be waiting for my return.”

The Temple of Minerva was a popular subject for nineteenth-century scene painters.  In 1881, an article in “Building News and Engineering Journal,” listed the Temple of Minerva as one of the many compositions painted by scenic artists, showing their versatility of subject matter. The journal’s article was entitled, “Art on The Stage,” and it appeared in the issue on July 29, 1881. Here is an excerpt with the Temple of Minerva mention:

“Scene Painting is an art by itself. There is no other branch of painting just like it, either in the variety of subjects embraced or in the methods employed. The thorough scenic artist must be equally at home in landscape or marine work, architectural or fresco. He is not permitted to cultivate any particular branch of his art, nor any favorite style. He must be able to produce, at any time, the wild mountainous passes of Switzerland or the flat meadows of Holland; the green lanes of homelike England, or the winding valleys of romantic Spain. In his architectural work he cannot devote himself to the Gothic or the Romanesque, but must be equally master of the Moorish, the Greek, and the Oriental. He may to-day be called upon to paint the Temple of Minerva, and to-morrow the Mosque of Omar; this week the Windsor Hotel, and next week the Palace of Versailles. His art knows no boundaries, and his scope is confined by no limits. The universe must be at his command, and things unseen must live in his imagination. The methods by which he works and many of the materials he employs are altogether different from those employed by the ordinary oil or water-colour painter. They approach more nearly to those of the latter, yet even here certain qualities of the colours used by the scene-painter constitute a sharp dividing line.”

Moses’ Temple of Minerva Drop Curtain for the Tacoma Theater was also featured on the front page of  “The Palette & Chisel” Club newsletter in 1917.  It accompanied and article entitle, “Thomas G. Moses, All Round Scene Painter. His Work is Known from Coast to Coast.”

Here is the introductory paragraph that says so much about his scene painting work:

“Now this article is about an artist whose work has been viewed by more people that ever entered the Art Institute and the Metropolitan Museum since their doors were first opened….probably. And those people paid good round sums to get in where the artist’s work was displayed. You don’t believe that, now do you? Well, then, when I also tell you that this artist painted stage settings for Booth and Barrett, Thomas Keene, McCullough and all that ranting crew of Shakespearian heavies, you will get the pint, of course. And of course, you will think this is just another one of those anniversary obituaries dedicated to some duck that passed out about the time everyone was singing…well, whatever they were singing when real fur bearing men wore flannel night shirts.

   Far from that howsumever, the gallant lad immortalized in this rhetorical garland is cheerfully employed just now in packing his sketching trunk for a paint spree in Zion National Park. And incidentally, going and coming he intends to put on the old corduroys with a brace of big theatrical contracts in Salt Lake City and Oakland, California. That is, this venerable old relic will paint the sets himself, and with Uncle Tom that means about ten hours a day on the paint bridge, and ninety days to each job. Isn’t it sad how fragile and inefficient these old timers are becoming! Tom says it bothers him a right smart now to paint a 45×50 drop in one day. What? Hell, no….FEET!”

When the article was written, Moses was sixty-one years old.  Four years later in 1921, he was still working at a breakneck speed and tackling entire stock scenery projects.

To be continued…